1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to animal halters. Specifically, the invention pertains to a halter, particularly suitable for horses, formed from a single length of rope.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of halters have been developed over the years for fitting over the head of an animal. The halter may be generally left on the animal's head so that it can be easily caught or in the alternative, only placed on the animal when needed. The halter may be used simply to lead the animal from place to place, to show the animal, or, in some cases, to ride the animal.
A number of halters have been developed over the years, particularly for use with horses. Some of the more popular horse halters may be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,138,115; 1,747,012; and 3,949,538. Most of these halters are provided with a headstall loop, which encircles the horse's head in the poll region adjacent the ears, and a noseband loop which encircles the horse's nose in the region of the jaws. Some halters also provide a loop around the neck. To provide the necessary loops and connections between various portions of the halter, buckles, loops, links and the like may be provided. Many of these buckles, loops, links, etc. are made of metal. Since halters are normally exposed to the elements, these metal parts may rust and eventually fail. In addition, they may become heated by the sun or chilled in extremely cold weather, causing the horse to react in such a manner that the person placing the halter on the animal may be injured thereby.
To eliminate the use of metal parts, some halters are made totally of rope. An all-rope halter, primarily for use on cattle, is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,580,553. An all-rope halter referred to as the "adjustable halter" is shown in FIG. 191 and described on page 70 of Graumont's Handbook of Knots, published by Cornell Maritime Press, Cambridge, Maryland, 1945. While these all-rope halters are not subject to rusting and other adverse effects of the elements, they may have other disadvantages. For example, most of such halters have no limit on the tightness with which the headstall and/or noseband loop may be squeezed about the animal's head. This is particularly critical with horses which are easily excitable, and which may cause choking of the horse or breaking of its jaw, nose, or other member. In addition, some of these halters are susceptible to becoming loose and easily discardable by the animal simply by the shaking of its head.